Renaissance means rebirth. During the Renaissance people became interested in the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Renaissance Renaissance means rebirth. It began in the city-state of Florence and occurred between the 1300’s and the 1600’s.

The father of humanism is considered to be Petrarch. The interest in Greek and Roman ideas was the beginning of humanism, the study of history and philosophy. Humanism focused on the individualized accomplishments of people instead of focusing on religion. The father of humanism is considered to be Petrarch.

Medieval Art Renaissance Art No real expressions on faces Faces become filled with emotion and expression More realistic landscape/perspective Poses are more life-like and realistic Artists take credit for their work No real expressions on faces Stiff poses/halos Most art made for and owned by churches

Leonardo da Vinci

People during the Renaissance were able to focus on the arts because of wealthy businessmen. The Medicis were important during the Renaissance because they were patrons of the arts. (They spent lots of money to sponsor artists, scholars, and craftsmen who would produce works that would bring education and creativity to their city.)

Johann Gutenberg was the inventor of the printing press. The printing press was the invention that spread the ideas of the Renaissance. Johann Gutenberg was the inventor of the printing press.

The Renaissance was a time of scientific discovery. Galileo was the first person to use a telescope to observe the sky. He believed in Copernicus’s theory that the sun was the center of the universe. Andreas Vesalius was considered to be the father of human anatomy. He was a doctor and one of the first to dissect a human body. The Renaissance was a time of scientific discovery. Copernicus proposed that the sun was the center of the universe. This was unique because people thought that the Earth was the center of the universe.

The Renaissance gave us many notable writers. The most famous was William Shakespeare Shakespeare wrote many famous works including comedies, history, tragedies, and poems. Some of his famous works include Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Antony and Cleopatra, and a series of poems called The Sonnets.

The church made money by selling indulgences, or pardons from sin. During the Renaissance, people began to think critically about the church. Martin Luther studied the Bible and believed that people could not buy pardon from sin. He felt that faith alone was the only path to salvation. As a result of his beliefs, Luther was excommunicated, or kicked out of the church. The movement to change the church during the Renaissance was called The Reformation. The people who sought change in the church were called Protestants. The church made money by selling indulgences, or pardons from sin.